After months of hard work and a soft opening over a few weekends, the Sons of Kent Brewing Company is ready to fully open the taps.

The brewery, started by four local “sons of Kent” – Colin Chrysler, brothers Alf and Doug Hunter, and Tim Copeland – is kicking off their grand opening weekend Friday night by bringing in popular local funk band Super Fly.

Chrysler said an official ribbon cutting will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, followed by tours of the facility in the former Cinema Six theatre building at the corner of King and Adelaide Streets. He said there will be samples available and people can see how beer is made.

“Things have been going great,” Chrysler said of the soft opening that provided the opportunity to make sure everything was running smoothly.

“We were confident in the beer we were brewing,” he said, adding they wanted to make sure the taps were flowing well and they were on top of their new computer system and front-of-house equipment.

“We've worked out the bugs and we're ready to rock,” Chrysler said.

The Sons of Kent have merged their brewing talents to create the business. Alf Hunter is an experienced brewery engineer and his brother Doug spent several years designing and installing craft breweries across Canada.

And Copeland is an award-winning brewer, who has developed beers using traditional brewing methods with creative styles.

Chrysler said the business is offering eight beers on top, with a special “one-off” for the weekend called Pony Boy, which is a golden ale.

“We really encourage people to come in and try different beers, sample some things they've never tried before,” he said.

“Maybe you'll fall in love with a beer you've never tried. Maybe you'll find out this one beer isn't for you,” Chrysler said. “But, we do believe there is a beer for everyone, whether you're a beer lover or not.”

While the brewery will have a limited menu down the road, Chrysler said their focus will be on brewing their distinctive craft beers.

“By all means, if you want to bring food into the brewery, we're not against that,” he said.

Chrysler said he and his partners are appreciative of all the support the brewery has been receiving on social media.

He said Sons of Kent wants to be part of the “social framework of Chatham” and have people as proud of the establishment as they are.

Details about hours and other events can be found online at www.sonsofkent.com or the brewery's Facebook page.